My Story: “I Was The Only Passenger On An Overnight Bus With 4 Male Staff”

My Story: “I Was The Only Passenger On An Overnight Bus With 4 Male Staff”

I am Aditi Pandey a PG student of Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan. I got an opportunity to be a participant of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2018 in Lucknow from 7th – 8th of October 2018.

On my way back to Jaipur, Rajasthan, I had to choose the unwanted journey by bus at 7:30 pm named Multi-Axle Scania Seater AC bus on 8th of October from Alambagh. It just had one co-passenger with me. The bus had four staff who had a mutual understanding of when they had to ride the bus or be at the back seat. They all were men and calculating the whole scenario, I knew I was taking a huge risk with me but I had to take that bus at any cost. By the time I was hoping for few women to appear so that I could feel the sense security but opposite happened and two men entered the bus. The staff showed their first sweet gesture and asked me what should be done as even after half an hour of wait the bus wasn’t even half filled. So, then the bus departed at 8 pm approx due to less passenger issue we were in total 8 people, me and 7 men including age groups of young, middle and old. After sometimes, few women had also taken the bus but left quickly at Kanpur Bus station. I still had full night journey left with terror inside me.

That time the conductor named Pradeep (I came to know while the staff was talking among themselves) advice us to be comfortable and use the single seat. I was sitting on the second seat of door side at that time. I was tired so I slept. It was 12:30 am at midnight when the bus stopped at a dhaba and we were asked to have our dinner. I had my dinner and was about to leave that dhaba bench when the staff of the bus called me and told me to use the seat just behind the driver’s seat. The kind gesture of them made me feel enough of being secured for more left hours of journey.

We came back to the bus and this time I was more comfortable and I went to sleep. It was 3:30 am in the early morning when the bus entered Agra. All the co-passengers had left the bus as their destination arrived. Now I was the only person as a passenger on that bus with 4 staff members. I had no clue of their destination otherwise, I would have had dropped the idea of travelling by that bus. I was terrified by every foot going straight to the door of the bus. I asked one of them “Am I the only one left in this huge bus?”. The answer was yes and I was just like NOW WHAT?.

The Punjabi driver Mr Rajender Gella (I just heard the name, I might be wrong with spelling) asked me if I wanted to use the loo of which I replied yes. For my security concern, he came along with me to the loo of bus stand and was standing outside until I was inside. The other member of the staff brought 5 cups of tea, four for themselves and one for me. They offered me the cup which I took and didn’t taste it initially out of fear it might contain wrong things. After everyone had their few sips the Sardar ji in a very polite manner told me ” Pilo beta pilo”. I was scared which was visible from my face so they waited there for half an hour instead of 10 mins so that I could find co-passengers for the journey that was left. The time we were waiting they were talking to me so that I can’t be afraid by the situation I was in. They were asking me about my hometown, my studies, my being at Lucknow etc. Honestly from that moment, I was completely comfortable with the situation I was in. Though we waited for half an hour no one came to take the bus and finally, they asked me “Ab Kya Kiya Jaye beta.” I know it was approx 4 am and so I told them to start the journey again. When the bus started they asked me to do a favour, if police in case ask me of just being a single passenger in this bus, I will say that there is an exam I got to take in Jaipur.

For the left 3-4 hours after Agra, I was very overwhelmed with whatever I was going through. My whole perception was changing. They were talking to me, being funny around me, telling me jokes etc just so that I would not feel even a bit of insecure with my earlier calculation of scenario.

I reached Jaipur safely and probably with one of my best memories. For their great behaviour, I asked a photo with them in front of the bus of which I was scared to death earlier.

Story By – Aditi Pandey

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Partner Story

This Diwali Let Us Rebuild Schools To Secure A Better Future For The Country

We all have memories attached to our schools. Yes, obviously we do, otherwise, why would we be all excited for our school’s 10-year reunion? Because reunions are the time when we get to relive those juvenile memories and cherish the good old days.

The times we shared the same bench with our best friend and played tic tac toe on the desk. The times we took toilet breaks in the middle of a class only to secretly loiter around the corridors. The brilliant lunches we shared with our friends on the school playground during recess. Reminiscing over these memories warms our hearts.

Did you know that at least 35 million children between the age group of 6-14 do not attend school in India? There have been several reports that girls drop out of school because of a lack of basic facilities such as toilets. These children are not only missing out on basic education, but they are also missing out on those wonderful memories.

In a bid to make early education accessible to all, HIL Limitedhas taken a wonderful initiative. HIL Limited believe in the fact that when we do things together, better things happen, standing by their philosophy of ‘Together We Build’. In the film, you can see a small child Kamli. The naive child makes a colorful paper lantern for Diwali and gifts it to her school, which is in shambles. She is eager to learn and her adamant heart still gives her the hope that the colourful lantern might make her broken school a little brighter. After her Diwali holidays, when she comes back to her school and finds it prettier her heart rejoices.

HIL Limited believes that education is the right step towards bringing young minds together and creating a feeling of togetherness. Their social initiative has helped 75,000 children like Kamli by rebuilding their schools.

Now, these children would not miss out on basic education. They will also get to make beautiful memories that they will cherish for a very long time. This would also make their future stronger and more reliable. If you know any such school that needs attention, then please write to[email protected].

The Logical Indian appreciates HIL Limited for the wonderful initiative they have taken to make the future of so many underprivileged children better. Children are the future of the country and we hope that by making their future secure, we are taking our country forward.